Twenty five hikers assembled at the start point, undeterred by threats of bushwacking and lost trails. Despite a few late arrivals at both the 700p meeting point and the campsite car park start point, we set off before 9am in the lovely morning light and cool. (Some would say cold.)

Brief rest and photo op on the way down

Thanks to Anders’ pastime of exploring and trail clearing, we made a good start along easy tracks and trails, able to concentrate on enjoying the high-level views, catching up with old friends and getting to know new ones. We made good time downhill and even stopped for many to buy – and share, thank you 😉 – strawberries at the resort we stumbled into near the low point of the hike in Ban Pong Khrai. Pam took pictures. After a short on-road section up to the pass above the village, we snacked to re-fuel for the bigger climb ahead.

Beautyful Group Pictures (click to enlarge)

Strawberry fields en route

Two or three hikers struggled at various stages of the main uphill section and the group spread out quite a lot for a while but all made it to the viewpoint with a smile on their faces. (Pleasure or just relief?) Almost all bush pre-whacked by Anders’, Richard and their intrepid team of assistants, too numerous to list.

On top of the world

The final viewpoint

A successful circuit of the Huai Pong Tai stream watershed. 9 km, up/down 550m, in just under 5 hours.

Altitude profile of the hike

Purple = previous Mon Jaem trail; black & white = Sunday’s trail

Look out for the sequel, Bushwacker’s Delight II: foggy sea view, coming soon to a hike near you.

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Thanks everyone for a fantastic day in the beautiful Mon Jam area. After the hike we had a good time at the rustic campsite restaurant .Fantastic views, good friends and cold beer &nice food

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ABOUT CHIANG MAI HIKING

Hikes on this website are open to individuals, not big groups or for commercial uses.

There is no formal membership and no need to sign up for hikes in advance. If you want to join a hike, make sure you read the general guidance on this site and the specific hike details. Then if you still think the hike is for you, just turn up.

The hikes are shared experiences, not services. Every hiker remains responsible for his or her own safety, welfare and actions at all times.

The hikes nevertheless have a spirit of co-operation. Participants respect the leadership of the hike initator(s) and comradeship with everyone on the hike.

Some hikes involve car-sharing to the start point from the meeting point. This involves individual arrangements between drivers and passengers at the meeting point. It usually works fine, but places in cars cannot be absolutely guaranteed in advance.

You are encouraged to get involved in leading and/or creating hikes when you have some experience, or to help out in other ways.